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The contrivance of a vintage Wonderland; (A magnificent flight of curious fancy for science buffs, a china ark of seductive whimsy, a divinely ordered special attraction, upheld in multifariousness)

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CreatorMellor, Danie (1971- ) [artist]Date2007DescriptionArtist statement: "The diorama is representative of ‘museum theatre’ and the spectacle of the Curious, the collected, the displayed. The simulation of reality, the retelling of stories, the topographical (on the surface) representation of culture and landscape through objects is exemplified through inert and lifeless, and also constructed animals. In spite of this, the animals do have life; they do convey a sense of reclamation, of reconstruction, of spirit in an Indigenous Land. The blue and white designs that comprise the china mosaic indicate commodified stories retold through an art form (ceramics and transferware) that was industrialised in the 18th Century, of fables that depict the exotic and fantastic, the Oriental and Other in far away places. At about this time, theories of evolution were expounded, a ‘parroted’ religion of hierarchy that has never been proved since they were proposed and imposed, and so remain mere theories, misguided attempts to rationalise and ‘scientificate’ the natural order of nature and humanity. Nature is intrinsically connected to the spiritual, and cannot simply be boundaried by a cool and detached framework of intellectual theory or observation. The imposition of purely scientific theory in natural history as the only explanation for the breadth of creation was (is) anathema to any living culture and humanity connected to the Land, and anaesthetises our connection to that which lies beyond…the invisible.". Size: dimensions variable: 4 x 7.6 x 7.6 m. Materials: mixed media installation; kangaroo skin, ceramic, synthetic eyeballs, wood and birds. Image title: Exhibition views: National Gallery Australia.PublisherThe University of SydneyLanguageengTypeOriginal art workCollectionSydney College of the Arts

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The contrivance of a vintage Wonderland; (A magnificent flight of curious fancy for science buffs, a china ark of seductive whimsy, a divinely ordered special attraction, upheld in multifariousness)

The contrivance of a vintage Wonderland; (A magnificent flight of curious fancy for science buffs, a china ark of seductive whimsy, a divinely ordered special attraction, upheld in multifariousness)

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